Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow prays after the Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime in the NFL AFC wildcard playoff football game in Denver, Colorado, January 8, 2012

It would have been more than enough for the polarizing Denver Broncos quarterback to simply lead his underdog team to victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in the AFC wild-card game. And Tim Tebow did, thanks to his 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime that left the Steelers and the watching world simply stunned.

But then the facts and figures emerged, and the Internet verily exploded: Tebow threw for exactly 316 yards in the 29-23 upset win, presenting an eerie allusion to the Bible’s John 3: 16 passage — whose number Tebow famously wore in the black under his eyes when he led the Florida Gators to victory in the 2009 collegiate national championship game. What’s more, that event took place exactly three years ago on the same day as his latest miracle comeback. And that wasn’t it for the coincidences: Tebow set an NFL playoff record with, you guessed it, 31.6 yards per completion and the TV rating on CBS peaked between 8.00-8.15pm ET with a rating of, say it ain’t so, 31.6.

A cursory glance at Google Trends hot searches Monday morning presented three of a kind: the top trio were, in order, the 3: 16 passage (“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”), followed by Tebow and Tim Tebow.

So Tebowmania is somehow getting bigger. We’ve been down this road before, of course, but surely nothing can match these twin events, right? Could Tebow’s Broncos manage to pull off a win next weekend against the New England Patriots — who not only will be a heavier favorite than the Steelers but also schooled Denver in the regular season? If so, then surely only God (or, to dial back the hyperbole, Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees) will be able to stop Tebow from winning the Super Bowl. For now, he is working in mysterious ways. (Via CNN.)

So Tebow can’t put John 3:16 on his eye black. So instead he passes for 316 yards, sets an NFL playoff record of 31.6 yards per completion (although he clearly can’t throw from what I’ve been repeatedly told), and does it on television for a 31.6 rating.

Get out your probability textbooks and calcuate the odds of that happening, all you liberal math whizzes.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

And thanks to Tim Tebow and a little Something-Something else, that verse is all over the place even though he couldn’t display it.

Update: As is pointed out by Larry and Liz below, there are a couple of other neat things about the Denver victory and “316.” Turns out that the Steeler’s only interception of the game took place on 3rd down and 16 yards to go. And the Broncos’ winning touchdown catch in overtime was caught by Demaryius Thomas – who was born on Christmas.

This stuff is just great.

I have no idea how the Broncos will fare against the Patriots this week, but they already sure have put on a show and I’m one who hopes the show continues over New England.

Update: Well, that one certainly didn’t break Denver’s way. On the bright side, at least Tim Tebow won’t have to ponder over what would have happened had he come through on that one play…

The Denver Bronco season ended with the “repeating 316.” And that’s a pretty good way to end.

If you were hoping for a “come from behind miracle victory,” here’s the best I can do:

In a recent email, I read about a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of
considering abortion. More than 24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were
serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child.
Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by
a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and
was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was
pregnant.

Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that
the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the
abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her
son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians
predicted. Pam said the doctors didn’t think of it as a life, they thought
of it as a mass of fetal tissue.

While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to
consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband:
If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a
preacher.

Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and
eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s
youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital
visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also
plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.